In an interview on the “Joe Howard Show,” Wachtel Weiland discussed Weiland’s musical legacy and the state of their family following his death. Weiland died of a drug overdose in December, 2015 and despite his massive success, Jamie says his estate included a number of major debts.

“I think there’s this preconceived notion that Scott, being a rock star, must have just had millions in the bank, and that I’m probably just sitting pretty and just collecting money, and it’s the antithesis of the truth,” she said. “He, unfortunately, passed away with an enormous amount of debt. There were a lot of loose ends that were never dealt with.”

While she’s still grieving for Weiland, Wachtel Weiland says that these days she feels more prepared to tackle the challenge of settling Scott’s financial affairs.

“I could have fought a lot more to be involved in the mess that was left behind, but the truth is, for a long time, I was completely paralysed. I was incapable of doing anything,” she said. “It was hard for me to just get through the day, much less lawyer up and deal with all the legalities of an estate and probate.”

Once she wraps up all the paperwork, Wachtel Weiland plans to move forward with her career as a photograper, while cherishing the good times she had with her late husband.

“I really just want to move on with my positive memories of my husband,” she said. “I want to move on as an artist. I am fortunate that I do have a career. I had a career when I met him. It was somewhat shelved for a while there, because I toured with and I was involved in his business. But I am lucky that I can go back to that now and get that going again, and I don’t really need to cling to his coattails and try to wring money out of his estate.”